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¨¨^-/$£§¶@                                          @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@               WINDS ESKER                @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ ---------------------------------------- ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@                                          @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# THERE  WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ I  COULDN'T GO  TO. REGARDLESS HOW  MUCH @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ DISCUSSED  WITH  OTHERS, OR POINTED  OUT ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ ON MAPS, I  COULD  NOT THINK OF IT  WHEN @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# ALONE.  I WOULD OFTEN  TRAVEL  PAST  THE #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ FORK,  WHERE A  RIGHT TURN  WOULD SURELY @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ TAKE ME  THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@               KEPT ME AWAY.              @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ WHEN  I  FINALLY GOT  THERE,  AFTER SOME @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶     HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST     ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ ASSUME,   THE  PLACE  WAS  SURREAL.   AN @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# ESKER,  LIKE  A  NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ THE  LAKE,  BUT  TEN   METERS  HIGH  AND @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ ADORNED IN BIRCH,  WILLOW, BRACKEN,  AND ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@               BLUEBERRIES.               @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ WALKING  ATOP  THAT  SPINE,  I  CAME  TO @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ NOTICE  THE  VIEW TO EITHER SIDE.  THERE ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ SHOULD  BE  SHORES,  OF  COURSE,  BUT  I @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# DIDN'T  RECOGNIZE  THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS  THE LAKE SHOULD @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ STRETCH FOR  A  HUNDRED  METERS MORE  ON ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ BOTH  SIDES.  BUT  NOW  I  FELT I  COULD @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# ALMOST REACH  OUT  AND  TOUCH THEM.  AND #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH  SHORES THEY @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶           WERE, I HAD TO STOP.           ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@                                          @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# THEY WERE  OF THE  RIGHT LAKE.  BUT THIS #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@       LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND      @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ BIPARTITE. LIKE  A PAIR OF LUNGS  CARVED ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ INTO THE GRANITE,  AND WITH NO LESS THAN @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@#   FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS   #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@      POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE      @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶     IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY    ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS  BELONGING MANY MILES @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@#                  AWAY.                   #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@                                          @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ I  EXAMINED  THE  RIDGE,   THE  TREELINE ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ ABOVE.  WAS  THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# FROM  THOSE  OTHER  SHORES?  I  COULDN'T #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@                 REMEMBER.                @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶                                          ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ CARRYING  FORWARD, ON THE  VERY  TIP  OF @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# THE ESKER, I  FOUND  THE  RUINS OF  SOME #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@    OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN    @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶  MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ THE  MOSS,  AND STRANGE  SLABS  INSERTED @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# INTO  THE SLOPE  LIKE  DAMS  AGAINST THE #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@              GROUND ITSELF.              @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶                                          ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ SITTING  THERE, I  COULD  SEE ACROSS THE @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE  PATH TO WHERE I #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ SAT: FROM  THE  STAIRWELL  OF  MY HOUSE, @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS  BEHIND  THE  TILE ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@      FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE      @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# TWENTY THREE  AND  THEN  BACK  UNDER IT, #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ THROUGH   THE  FANCY  VILLAS,  OVER  THE @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT  RIGHT TURN AT THE ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@                  FORK.                   @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ AND  THEN  THE  STAIRS UP ON THE  RIDGE. @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ THINKING  BACK,  THIS WAS  PROBABLY  IT. ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ HIDDEN IN A  GROVE,  THERE  WERE  STAIRS @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# MUCH  LIKE THE ONES  I CURRENTLY SAT ON, #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ OLD  AND  WORN  DOWN, THAT  LEAD YOU  UP @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ ONTO THE ESKER. THE  POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK  THE PATH  AT ITS @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@# FOOT, I'M  SURE  MY EXPERIENCE  WOULD'VE #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@          BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED.          @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶                                          ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ ---------------------------------------- @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ ON   THE  LAKE,  THERE  WERE  PEOPLE  IN @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY  EVEN  SEE ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@ ME?  IF  I  SHOUTED, WOULD THEY  TURN TO @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨^-/$£§¶@#         STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME?          #@¶§£$/-^¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@                                          @¶§£$/-^¨¨
¨¨¨^-/$£§¶                                          ¶§£$/-^¨¨¨
¨¨^-/$£§¶@                                          @¶§£$/-^¨¨
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